Acquisition of citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as renunciation of (release from) citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a common administrative subject matter our office deal with and therefore in this article we decided to present all relevant facts of both procedures in detail and in an altruistic way.
1. Introduction – methods of acquisition and renunciation of citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Let’s start with the basics, that is, the definitions themselves.
Pursuant to the applicable Law on the citizenship of BiH, the acquisition of citizenship of BiH is carried out according to the following determinants:
- based on the descent;
- based on birth on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- by adoption;
- by naturalization;
- by international agreement – so-called facilitated naturalization.
On the other hand, renunciation of citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina is carried out either by the force of law, by renunciation, by release, or by international agreement.
The law on citizenship of BiH determines the conditions for the acquisition and loss of citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina where you can find a complete overview of the administrative procedure in question.
OUR OBSERVATION:
"By taking a short Google search, you can see how much multiple passports and citizenships are in demand, and the reason is not to avoid paying taxes or similar attached claims that we are served in the media. People just like to have a retreat option, some form of enhanced security. Because the future is always economically and socially unpredictable."
2. ACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
2.1. Acquisition of BiH citizenship by descent (based on parents)
In order to make the application and acquire citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina by descent/origin, it is necessary to meet one of the following determinants listed below:
a) whose both parents were citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time of the child's birth, regardless of the place of his birth;
b) one of whose parents was a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time of the child's birth and the child was born in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
c) whose one parent was a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time of the child's birth, and the child was born abroad, if he or she would otherwise be stateless;
d) if the child was born abroad and one of whose parents was a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time of the child's birth, provided that by the time he or she reaches the age of 23 he or she submits an application for registration of BiH citizenship to the competent authority.
In some cases, even when only one parent is born in BiH and registered in the Records of citizens by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, there is a high chance that the applicant will also acquire BiH citizenship upon application. The Law on Citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina prescribed a 23-year age limit for applying and receiving citizenship when only one parent was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, even if there is a situation when you are older than this age limit, the process of acquiring citizenship can be carried out successfully, although in that situation we need to make an accurate insight into your case and the existence of certain preconditions.
> The most difficult part when we talk about acquiring BiH citizenship by descent is not collecting and completing documentation, but creating a reasonable and valid request that won’t be rejected by each and every administrative body. If you think you are somehow qualified to obtain citizenship by descent (either through parents, or grandparents), and want counseling help to avoid wasting time and tapping in the dark for months to gather any information, feel free to send an inquiry to our team in order to get a free examination of your particular case.
WORTH KNOWING:
"The process of acquiring citizenship can be successfully carried out even after the age of 23, although in that particular situation an accurate insight into your case should be made."
Photo 1 - Proudly showing off Bosnian-Herzegovinian passport, Copyright: LJUBIC Law Firm with client's agreement
> REAL EXAMPLE: What does the Decision on the acquisition of BiH citizenship of a person older than 23, with only one parent born in BiH look like → check by clicking here.
… A special category are those who apply to regain BiH citizenship
> Recovering citizenship of BiH is possible with a precisely explained application and under the certain general conditions, where, among other things, the registered residence is prescribed in the period of 1 year before the submission of the application.
2.2. Acquisition of citizenship of BiH for a foreign person based on the application – naturalization
For this purpose, naturalization shall mean admission to citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina of a foreign person based on a duly submitted application and fulfillment of any requested (prescribed by the Law) conditions.
It would mean that the requested conditions for BiH citizenship registration of a foreign person shall be as follows:
- the age of majority,
- a permanent place of residence was approved on the territory of BiH for at least 3 years before submitting a request,
- knowledge of the language and script of one of the languages of the BiH constituent peoples,
- not being sentenced to a term of imprisonment for a premeditated criminal act for longer than three years within 8 years of the submission of a request,
- to renounce or otherwise lose his or her former citizenship before the acquisition of the citizenship of BiH, unless a bilateral agreement as referred to in Article 14 provides otherwise,
- not to represent a threat to BiH national security,
- to have a steady source of income in the amount necessary for living,
- to have settled any tax or other obligations,
- to sign a declaration of acceptance of the legal system and constitutional arrangement in BiH
- to obtain a valid guarantee of acquisition of BiH citizenship.
Photo 2 - Back to long forgotten roads, Copyright: LJUBIC Law Firm
THINK AHEAD
"In some countries, such as the United States of America for instance, possession of citizenship plays an important role in inheriting property and enjoying inheritance."
2.3. Rejecting the application for acquisition of citizenship of BiH
However, rejecting an application for naturalization is possible even though the applicant fulfills basic requirements for citizenship acquisition in a situation when there are reasonable doubts the national security of BiH and public order would be endangered, or if naturalization is not in accordance with the interests of BiH for some other reason as determined based on an overall assessment of the applicant.
2.4. BiH passport - one of the most upping passports over the last ten years
We did a little research on the strength of passports in the world. Although we are advocates of acquiring BiH citizenship and possessing BiH passports, supporting our initiative with facts was necessary and desirable. Everything is around pure facts nowadays.
Therefore, the results of our research are brief as follows:
- BiH passport shares 6th place with Ukraine according to progress in the last ten years
- Namely, in 2010, the BiH passport ranked 74th in the ranking of the most useful passports, while at the end of 2020, it ranked 48th according to the world's leading Passport Strength Index conducted by Henley&Partners.
- BiH passport holders are guaranteed entry into 117 countries without applying for visas in advance, more than some bigger and more notable countries such as Turkey, South Africa, Egypt, Ecuador, and India provide.
The fact that in the eyes of many current and former citizens of BiH, the passport does not mean much and can even be the subject of ridicule does not represent the reality which shows us that year after year; the BiH passport can take its owners to more and more world destinations without excessive difficulties.
2.5. What about dual citizenship?
The permissibility of dual citizenship is divided into two groups: The first is the existence of international treaties on dual citizenship, and the second is according to the legal provisions of the country in which you have citizenship and the country you wish to have.
Let's clarify the latter.
Law on dual citizenship at the level of any country doesn't exist. Moreover, it is exclusively read through the lines by Laws on Citizenship and related ordinances that can limit or define the possession of multiple citizenships in more detail. Namely, depending on which citizenship a person currently enjoys and which he wants to acquire, the legal frameworks of both countries should be taken and put into the context of the situation in which the person is/what he wants and check whether it is possible to enjoy two or more citizenships.
Many are mistaken when sharing thoughts that it is impossible to acquire and hold dual citizenship simultaneously when we speak about countries Bosnia and Herzegovina has not concluded an Agreement on Dual Citizenship with. The straightforward way to explain this is with the example of BiH and German citizenship. So, suppose you already received German citizenship at birth and have a specific and appropriate Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin through your parents. In that case, you have a good chance of enjoying dual citizenship of Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina if there is full compatibility with the BiH Law on Citizenship provisions.
We have left the topic of enjoying dual citizenship for a single and separate article - if you are interested, you can find it here.
3. RENUNCIATION OF CITIZENSHIP OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
3.1. Renunciation of citizenship of BiH
The main reason for renunciation (release from) Bosnian-Herzegovinian citizenship is the acquisition of citizenship of some other country (mostly for one of the Western European countries – Germany, Austria, etc.) and getting employment status in those countries.
The procedure for citizenship renunciation shall be in a way that a person wishing to renounce his or her citizenship shall make a declaration for the renunciation either in person or via an authorized representative before the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH or before BiH Diplomatic-Consular Representatives. The aforesaid application should be accompanied by supporting documents in order to be successfully resolved.
4. Records by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH shall keep the records on the acquisition of BiH citizenship as well as the records on the cessation of BiH citizenship on the basis of renunciation. The content and the manner of keeping the mentioned records shall be prescribed by the Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH.
> Ljubić Law Firm successfully represents the clients in the procedures for the acquisition and renunciation of citizenship of BiH.
What our clients have to say
I recently had the pleasure of working with Ljubic law firm and I cannot recommend them highly enough. From the very first consultation, it was clear that their team was not only highly knowledgeable and professional but also genuinely caring and dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome for their clients. Ivan Ljubic demonstrated exceptional expertise and attention to detail. They were always available to answer my questions, explain complex legal concepts in a way I could understand, and provide insightful advice. I am incredibly grateful for the outstanding service provided by Ljubic law firm. Their dedication, expertise, and client-focused approach are truly commendable. If you are in need of legal assistance, I highly recommend them without hesitation. They are, without a doubt, the best in the business.
My family is Croatian, so when I heard I could gain citizenship through descent, it became an important personal journey. After researching, I had a big problem -- What's the likelihood I'd find a birth record of my great-grandfather from 1861 in Croatia? A little nervous, and with some doubt, I contacted LJubic Law Firm. Honestly, I didn't know if they could do anything. While there's no guarantee with finding such documents in Croatia, the team continually updated me on the search progress, and they found the baptismal record in a little church in the village of Kulkujanovo -- perfectly matching my great-grandfather's death record! After gathering all my documents and preparing to submit my Croatian citizenship application, I also needed to translate my documents. You need to have an officially-recognised translator in Croatia to complete this task. Just to compare, I contacted some other non-law firm translation services. One told me it would take them 3 months to translate my documents! Ridiculous. So, I contacted LJubic Law Firm again. They took on my documents to do in 4 weeks, and then delivered in just 3 weeks -- 20 different documents with apostilles from some documents over 100 years old! LJubic Law Firm is extremely professional. They have great communication and are highly trustworthy. They delivered on 2 very challenging tasks. In doing my Croatian citizenship, peace of mind was very important to me. I wanted to be confident if it can be done, it will. I can't say enough how professional, nice and skilled the team is. Due to the generations I went back, I'd say my case was pretty difficult -- yet the team nailed it.
I have had Dutch citizenship all my life and since my parents are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, I wanted to get both citizenship and a passport, but I didn't know how to do it remotely. Marin explained everything in detail, I just had to submit all required papers. Thank you very much, Anja!